Two weeks ago I went to the place we store our PC2350 (lucky for us, completely enclosed and less than three miles from our home), drove the rig home and started doing some getting ready for camping this spring. I checked out all the systems after dewinterizing and drove back out to the storage center. Mission accomplished.
Yesterday, I went to retrieve it for another round of getting ready and making a few modifications. When I opened the doors to the storage unit I heard a faint electronic beep...somewhere?....and opened the door to the 2350. Well, the beep was the emergency warning from the Xantrex Pro XM1800 inverter control on the wall. It was showing 10.5 volts input!!
I always am very cautious to turn off the DC power locking switch located by the door that disconnects the coach batteries from the rig. I DID NOT KNOW that disconnecting that switch did not disconnect the Xantrax. We seldom use the inverter. I had turned it on two weeks ago to test it and had forgotten to turn it off. I was shocked to discover it was not subject to the power cutoff of all the other systems. As I thought about it, I concluded that is because it requires a lot of input juice and thus is not wired through the system locking switch by the door.
News to me!! Moral to the story is don't forget to turn off that switch! My assumption that all is off when the door 12 volt system switch is deactivated is simply very wrong.
Lucky for me, yesterday was a picture perfect day with clear skies and full sun, 72 degrees for a high. That was enough good source for the 200 watts of solar on the roof to bring the batteries back up to snuff after a full day setting out there in the driveway. I will be getting it out again in a couple of days to complete my tasks and I will plug it in for max charge for a couple of days here in the driveway.
I am probably the only one that did not know to check that Xantrex switch separately from the main power switch. I won't forget the lesson and that is for sure.
Paul
